Buy a Personal Computer

Current TU university faculty, staff and students are entitled to discounts from Dell and Apple through agreements with the University System of Maryland. Here, OTS provides a list of recommended minimum specifications for computers that meet most academic needs.

Recommended Minimum Specifications

Students

Check with your college or department relevant to your major for additional requirements and recommendations. If you decide to purchase a new computer, select one with a Wi-Fi standard of five or greater. Here's what to look for in the product description: number 5, 6 or 7 with the Wi-Fi symbol, or for number 802.11 followed by acax or be. If you are using a computer or device that you already own and are having issues with it, contact Student Computing Services

COMPONENT WINDOWS DESKTOP/LAPTOP MAC DESKTOP/LAPTOP TABLET (used as a secondary device)
Operating System (OS) Latest 64-bit OS Latest OS Latest OS
Minimum Processor Intel Core i5 Intel Core i5 Varies
Minimum RAM or Memory 8GB 8GB 4GB 
Minimum Storage Drive Size 250GB Solid State Drive (SSD) 250GB Solid State Drive (SSD) Your Choice
Warranty Yes, get a warranty Yes, get Apple Care Yes, get a warranty or Apple Care

Make a Purchase

APPLE

Purchase products and accessories at an Apple retail location or through the Apple Online Store.

DELL

Get exclusive deals and discounts on Dell consumer computers, electronics, and accessories through Dell's Employee Purchase Program (EPP) 
Note: the business lines of Dell products used at the university are different due to the demands of enterprise computers.

SUPPORT FOR PERSONALLY-OWNED DEVICES

Students can receive limited support on personally-owned devices at the Technology Support Desk.  We can assist with software-related issues, but we cannot resolve hardware failures.  Faculty and staff must seek support and service outside the university.